Dust storm in a teacup: Arabic weather term ‘haboob’ is making some Texans angry

A wall of dust raced toward Lubbock, Texas, on Sunday, and the National Weather Service threw out a word of caution on its Facebook page. “A haboob is rapidly approaching the Lubbock airport and may affect the city as well,” the meteorologists wrote.

The use of the meteorological term “haboob”, a word with Arabic roots, didn’t sit well with some residents.

Reader John Fullbright wrote: “Haboob!?! I’m a Texan. Not a foreigner from Iraq or Afghanistan. They might have haboobs but around here in the Panhandle of TEXAS, we have Dust Storms. So would you mind stating it that way. I’ll find another weather service.”

Brenda Daffern added: “In Texas, nimrod, this is called a sandstorm. We’ve had them for years! If you would like to move to the Middle East you can call this a haboob. While you reside here, call it a sandstorm. We Texans will appreciate you.”

The Weather Service’s use of “haboob” was entirely appropriate, describing a specific situation in which a collapsing thunderstorm exhales a burst of wind. This burst of wind, or outflow, collects dust in the surrounding arid environment. The dust can grow into a towering dark cloud, the so-called haboob, that sweeps across the landscape, cutting visibility to near zero.

Haboobs are common in the desert Southwest and the Middle East, where the term originated.